1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to stackable trusses and in particular to a U-shaped stackable truss for use in temporary, demountable construction for exhibition, display, and concert staging.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
As is well known in the prior art, there is a great need for the construction of exhibition, display, and concert staging that requires the use of truss members that can be connected together in a well-known fashion to form a finished stage or exhibition. Many of these exhibitions or staging displays are quite elaborate and are associated with groups such as music groups that travel from one location to another to perform concerts. This means that the staging must be shipped to the desired location, assembled, the concert performed, the staging disassembled, and shipped again to the next location for the next concert.
As is well known, the shipping of the truss units is very expensive because the assembled truss units require a great amount of space. This means, of course, that the greater number of trucks and personnel that are required to ship the staging trusses, the greater is the expense.
In an effort to cut down on space required, copending application Ser. No. 08/902,404, entitled "Truss", was filed on Aug. 9, 1997, to provide a V-shaped stackable truss that could be stacked in a snug manner to take up less space during shipment. This enables the truss member to be shipped from one location to another at a much less cost than previously required.
Further, a V-shaped stackable truss has been disclosed in commonly assigned copending application Ser. No. 09/169,080, entitled "V-Shaped Stackable Truss That Is Selectively Braceable", and filed on even date herewith. It enables the V-shaped stackable trusses to be selectively braced in order to allow them to be strengthened and to carry greater loads.
In some instances, it is advantageous to have trusses that are of a U-shape but that can be stacked when assembled for storage and that can be easily disassembled for shipment in a flat state.